


Soldier's Formality

by ArchbowMistress, ThePastReliesOnMemories



Category: No Straight Roads (Video Game)
Genre: Acceptance, Bonus ship if you REALLY squint, F/M, Military Background, One Shot, One-Sided Attraction, Pining, Rare Pairings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-18
Updated: 2020-12-18
Packaged: 2021-03-11 03:28:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,063
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28148373
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ArchbowMistress/pseuds/ArchbowMistress, https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThePastReliesOnMemories/pseuds/ThePastReliesOnMemories
Summary: When everything is water under the bridge, a soldier observes his general and the fugitive.
Relationships: Kliff/Tatiana | Kul Fyra (No Straight Roads), Neon J./Tatiana | Kul Fyra (No Straight Roads)
Comments: 5
Kudos: 12





	Soldier's Formality

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Old Flames](https://archiveofourown.org/works/27583889) by [ThePastReliesOnMemories](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThePastReliesOnMemories/pseuds/ThePastReliesOnMemories). 



> Yo- I'm trying to not scare myself again with writing fanfics so I'll probs write short stuff instead.
> 
> Have this rare pair as my first attempt for a long time. The ship name is Processor Management. (I forgot who coined the term, please identify yourself XDXD)
> 
> Also thank u Pasta for letting me insert this story into a hypothetical epilogue for their fic, "Old Flames", and for basically writing a large portion of the details and you know what, they basically wrote this story with how great it became-
> 
> Please check their stuff out, its worth your time.
> 
> -

It's after the meeting. 

The four of them are talking again, discussing possible charter assignments and jurisdictions. Mayday doesn’t seem very keen on taking the position yet, despite proving that she is very much capable of such a task. As with her bandmate, Zuke, who also seems to agree with that notion.

Their atmosphere lightens up as Tatiana chuckles to herself, amused, yet understanding of Mayday’s hesitance. She turns to Kliff and asks for his opinion about such a decision. The man himself doesn’t hesitate to try to encourage B2J to change their minds, almost rambling incoherently due to how fast he was talking. 

Heh, doesn’t that sound familiar?

The boys are probably wondering why I am going through my papers when I haven’t had a camera set up yet, but they haven’t bothered me. In fact, I sense them across the room with the Sayu team, discussing topics that I have no interest in. At least the only people who can tell that I am faking my task are not available to tattle. Well, maybe except DJ, but he is also busy chatting with Eve on a collaboration, so I am safe from him too.

I hear a laugh from the group I have been secretly observing, and it took all my willpower to not visibly shake. Seems that Kliff has made a joke that only Tatiana would laugh at, with B2J groaning. Old people humor, from the sound of it. With those jokes, you would have thought that Kliff has resorted to making Dad Jokes, of all things, to torture the duo instead of dropping a satellite. If I had teeth, I would be grinding them to powder.

How is it that a moronic… scruffy _bastard,_ who doesn’t seem to have what it takes to _appreciate_ my general’s glory, a man who never witnessed her efforts _first-hand_ to cut down opposition with such a finesse— _could make her_ **_laugh_ ** _?_

...How could I never manage to do that?

Is it because of the distance between us?  
Is it because I never dared myself to break that barrier?  
Of a general and a soldier - to be nothing more, to be stuck within our roles.

So close, yet so far.

_I had my chance, when he wasn’t around… I should’ve just—_

I stopped myself from growling before my voice box could process it. Damn it, why am I like this? If someone told me that I would fall for my own commander, I would have assumed that they were insane and thrown them into a detention center— or perhaps, I would have merely struck them over the head for that illogical comment. Now, the idea of being the one to make her laugh is making my cooling system overheat, alarms blaring in my head over and over at the rising temperatures.

Surely, my processors would be overloaded soon enough with this literal _hell_ I am suffering through. Comparable to my time as an actual soldier, even - I do not dare say which was worse.

Ah, the woes of a lovesick _fool_.

  
I didn’t think I’d end up this way, and yet, here I am, flipping through papers that I cannot even see. Just pretending, to keep up the façade of a busy manager of a rowdy boy band. 

I wanted to tell her or at least get it off my chest, but even my talkative, non-existent mouth couldn’t achieve such a simple task. Then, as soon as I was informed that Kliff was sent out on community service, _out of nowhere,_ with Tatiana herself fighting for him, I knew I lost my chance. Why does a fugitive get to be given a second chance, much less _her_ attention?

The fight was lost before it had even begun.

That blubbering man _won_ , and I… without even realizing it, let him.

Eventually, my audio receptors caught the mention of parting words from the group, and it wasn’t long before the rock trio began moving towards the exit of the meeting room. Possibly to head off to wherever their next destination was, which meant that Tatiana herself was no longer preoccupied - and the lady herself soon approached my seat on the table. My hand shot up to grab my phone, and connected it to my monitor, just in time to make it seem like I did have a set up. 

If I weren’t careful, she would notice that something about me was off. She always was smarter than she let on. After all, Tatiana Qwartz was a shrewd woman who managed to outsmart those snobbish politicians, greedy men who’d attempt to disrupt the order she painstakingly kept up, unwilling to accept the mere concept of a _woman_ leading Vinyl City as both the Prime Charter and its Governor.

Utter fools.

  
Blind to their greed, they couldn’t see her worth, that even a thousand of them would never amount to the greatness that was my commander. Had they been in the army, they would have long met their end at the hands of the enemy. 

Nevertheless, that shrewdness was one of the few traits I admire about her... along with that gentle smile of hers, which, with my vision restored thanks to the help of my now connected phone camera, I can see that it was now directed to me alone.

Oh, Qwasa.

_[_ ** _Warning! Warning! Overheating detected!_** ** _  
_** **_Processor temperature is beyond the recommended level.  
_****_Cooling fans initiated._ ** _]_

Shut up, shut up, _shut up—_

“Ah, Neon J!” Tatiana calls, “I have a few details regarding your proposed plan that we still need to discuss. May you stay for just a bit longer?”

I... can’t tell her now.  
I could never tell her. 

It would ruin what I— what _we_ have now. It would effectively destroy this little bit of connection and familiarity that I foolishly refused to let flourish, and revealing the truth is something I can no longer risk.

Although, am I satisfied to only have this business side of her?

Never to see her beyond the veil of being her soldier, her third in command?  
Never to see her be someone more to me?

...No.

“Yes, general, of course.”

_A soft, warm smile graced her lips, and all too easily did my processor stutter and_ ** _halt_** _._ _  
_ _How I wished it held more meaning than that of mere camaraderie._

But this soldier’s formality is all I have now.


End file.
